Ismaël Koné (soccer, born 2002)

Ismaël Kenneth Jordan Koné (born June 6, 2002) is a professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for CF Montréal. Born in the Ivory Coast, he represents the Canada national team.

Ismaël Koné
Personal information
Full name Ismaël Kenneth Jordan Koné
Date of birth (2002-06-06) June 6, 2002
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 CF Montréal
Number 28
Youth career
2018–2020 CS Saint-Laurent
2021 CF Montréal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– CF Montréal 9 (1)
National team‡
2022– Canada 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 30, 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of March 30, 2022

Early life

Koné was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.[1] He moved to Canada as a child, growing up in Montreal,[2] where he played youth soccer with CS Saint-Laurent.[3] With CS Saint-Laurent he earned the bronze medal at the 2019 Canadian Under-17 Championship.[4] He went on trial in Belgium with Genk and Mouscron,[3] but was later forced to return to Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where he began training with CF Montreal U23 and earned an invite to the first team's training camp in 2021.[4]

Club career

After spending a few months training with the CF Montréal first team, initially unable to sign a contract due to “some technicalities in MLS rules,”[5][6] Koné officially signed a two-year contract with two option years on August 13, 2021.[7][8] However, soon after signing his contract he suffered a knee injury, which limited his participation in training.[9] After the 2021 season, he went to train with Montreal's sister club Bologna.[10] Koné made his professional debut and scored his first goal with Montreal in a 3–0 win against Santos Laguna on February 23, 2022, in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.[11][12]

International career

In March 2022, Koné was called up to the Canada national team for their final window of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[13][14] He made his debut on March 24 against Costa Rica, as a substitute for Jonathan Osorio.[15]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played April 30, 2022[16]
Club Season League Playoffs[lower-alpha 1] Domestic Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental[lower-alpha 3] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
CF Montréal2021MLS 00—00—00
2022 91000031122
Career total 91000031122
  1. Includes MLS Cup Playoffs
  2. Includes Canadian Championship
  3. Includes CONCACAF Champions League

International
As of match played March 30, 2022
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Canada 202220
Total20

References
  1. "Le CF Montréal ajoute le jeune Ismaël Koné à sa formation" [CF Montreal adds young Ismaël Koné to its roster]. La Presse (in French). 13 August 2021.
  2. Lévesque, Dave (7 September 2021). "Ismaël Koné: La Carte Cachée" [Ismaël Koné: The Hidden Map]. TVA Sports (in French).
  3. Bogert, Tom (13 August 2021). "CF Montréal sign midfielder Ismael Kone". Major League Soccer.
  4. Montminy, Emeric (12 August 2021). "La Prochain "Pépite" du CF Montréal?" [The Next "Nugget" of CF Montreal]. TVA Sports (in French).
  5. "CF Montreal sign 19-year-old M Ismael Kone". National Post. 13 August 2021.
  6. Filosa, Jeremy (7 September 2021). "Ismaël Koné, " un des plus beaux espoirs au Québec "" [Ismaël Koné, "one of the most beautiful hopes in Quebec"]. CHMP-FM 98.5 FM (in French).
  7. "Ismaël Kone signs with first team". CF Montreal. 13 August 2021.
  8. Lévesque, Dave (7 September 2021). "Retenez le nom d'Ismaël Koné" [Remember the name of Ismaël Koné]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
  9. "Ismaël Koné is ready to come and lend a hand to CF Montreal". Look Charms. 8 September 2021.
  10. Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (18 March 2022). "Who is Ismael Koné? A deep dive into the rapidly improving 19-year-old CF Montreal midfielder set to earn first CanMNT call-up this March window". Destroy and Progress.
  11. Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (23 February 2022). ""I'm happy with the result" CF Montreal erases Santos Laguna heartbreak with commanding 3–0 win to advance to Champions League quarter-finals". BTS Van City.
  12. Lévesque, Dave. "Scénario rêvé pour Ismaël Koné" [Dream scenario for Ismaël Koné]. TVA Sports (in French).
  13. "Ismael Koné déjà appelé en équipe nationale" [Ismael Koné already called up for the national team]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). 20 March 2022.
  14. Bedakian, Armen (20 March 2022). "'If you're good enough, you're old enough': CF Montreal's Ismael Kone earns CanMNT call". OneSoccer.
  15. Jacques, John (24 March 2022). "Cautions Cost Canada In Cagey Costa Rica Clash". Northern Tribune.
  16. Ismaël Koné at Soccerway
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